It Tuesday …
So, I just want to start by saying that I hope most people who read my e-mails and blog posts know by now that I don’t want anyone to feel a certain way … maybe how I want … ’cause that’s not so. I just like to express my views on different topics that I think sometimes don’t get the proper attention, treatment or “air time”, if you will, and need desperately to be addressed. One such issue is the sadness that come when we see in the news that a six year old boy … a black boy … in Miami … was shot in a “botched” drive by … what could a six year old have done to anyone!!?? And please don’t suggest, though I thought about it for a second … that someone sought revenge against the father or mother of that child who was getting well known for his love of football! I would hope and pray that no one thought that to do a drive by on this child would be a good way to show discontent for either of the parents! Please NO!!! But I wouldn’t be too surprised though really disappointed if that was the reason for this barbaric behavior … Yet, I know the environment where these kids grow up … not making excuses, just observations … is a major contributor to this non-conformist and violent behaviour where the uncanny accessibility to weapons these “youth” are prone towards!! I wonder, where do they come from?!? Someone ought to do a study on that … something for a division of law enforcement to undertake … and trace where these weapons come from and how they got onto “the streets of Miami” and “New York” and all the other cities in the USA plagued with gun violence.
So, if this can happen to one child … it can happen to any child … or … any one … none of us excluded! This also brings to mind the age-old axiom that has been set forth as a “lesson for humanity” that if one person experiences injustice in our society, it is highly probable that EVERYONE at some point may experience injustice. Both Gandhi and King carried this message in their “movements” to achieve civil rights for all citizens in any given society. Are we taking heed? Even when the POTUS, who finally had an 106 year old African American woman come to the White House and spend time with he and the First Lady, tries to set into motion more peaceful negotiations between Cuba and the USA after such a long history of distrust and counter-spying, even Cubans now in America, like Marco Rubio, criticize his efforts to change the world by challenging the lack of rights in Cuba in a peaceful more diplomatic way!! It’s like so many humans want these “stand offs” in our international world today … And we all know that stand offs usually end up as physical conflict!
It’s gotten so bad, right here in our own country, we don’t have to look elsewhere to see the dehumanization process taking place, an Uber driver who passed the background check and had no criminal charges ever, decided to go on a shooting rampage in Kalamazoo, MI while picking up and dropping off passengers!! One young lady, the girlfriend of a guy who had to jump out of the Uber driver’s car since he was driving so erratically, had even posted information of social media for ALL to see and take heed and stay away from this “mad man” armed with a gun and still picking up passengers! She was ignored, as we do in our “human civilizations” when we see injustices taking place … we simply ignore the warning signs!! Is this a “sign of our times”? Are we waiting for ALL of us to “fall down” before we change directions and contents in our value systems in terms of setting priorities in our human interactions with EACH OTHER?!? How many more have to suffer before we take heed?!? I know, it is a scary topic that most of us don’t want to address … until …
It takes a strong yet peaceful warrior to stand in the face of a decaying society and encourage change through peaceful means, challenging the long standing “status quo” a la Dr. King and Mahatma Gandhi. These are the heroes of our time … and we ignore them, too! Stand up for positive change … in the most minute situations … and foster its growth … one human at a time!
Peace,
John I. Cook, Director
Educational Excellence 